My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Results tagged ‘ Mike Zagurski ’

The Phils take the weekend series from Arizona by defeating the D-backs by the scores of 3-0 and 5-4.

On Saturday, the Phils took the lead in the third as Erik Kratz hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then increased their lead in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Ryan Howard, a double by John Mayberry, Jr., with Howard stopping at third base, and a walk to Dom Brown, and with two men out, Kratz forced in a run as he took a walk, bringing home Howard, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead, while moving up a base both Mayberry and Brown. The Phils added an insurance run in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Brown hits an RBI single, knocking in Kevin Frandsen, who had started the inning off with a single, moved up to second base on Mike Zagurski’s wild pitch, then went to third base on Howard’s single, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead, while sending Howard, who had just singled, up to second base. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon recorded his twenty-fourth save of the year as he threw a scoreless ninth.

Roy Halladay (5-6, 4.02) got the win as he threw seven scoreless innings, giving up just three hits and a walk, while striking out five. Josh Lindblom collected his seventeenth hold of the season as he threw a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out two. Jonathan Papelbon collected his twenty-fourth save of the year by throwing a scoreless ninth, giving up a hit, while striking out two. Joe Saunders (5-8, 3.57) took the lost as he pitched six and a third innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out three. Brad Ziegler pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men whom he would face. Mike Zagurski pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a wild pitch, while striking out a batter. Matt Albers pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Ryan Howard leading the ballclub with two hits, both singles. Kevin Frandsen (Single), Chase Utley (Single), John Mayberry, Jr. (Double), Dom Brown (Single, RBI), Erik Kratz (Single, 2 RBIs) Nate Schierholtz (Single) and pinch hitter Ty Wigginton (Single), had the other seven Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two walks in the game.

In Sunday’s game, the D-backs took the lead in the second as, with a man on first, and with nobody out, Chris Johnson hits a two-run home run, his eleventh home run of the season, knocking in Justin Upton, who had started the inning off with a single, giving the D-backs a 2-0 lead. The D-backs then took a 3-0 lead as Stephen Drew followed with a solo home run, his first home run of the year. The Phils got a run back in their half of the first as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, John Mayberry, Jr., who had earlier walked, then stopped at third base on Dom Brown’s double, would score on Trevor Cahill’s wild pitch, cutting the D-backs’ lead down to 3-1, while Brown would move up to third. The Phils then made it a 3-2 lead as Erik Kratz hits an RBI double, knocking in Brown. The Phils would tie the game up at three-all in the fifth as, with one man out, Chase Utley hits a solo home run, his seventh home run of the season. The D-backs retook the lead in the sixth as Paul Goldschmidt hits a solo home run, his sixteenth home run of the season, giving the D-backs a 4-3 lead. The Phils would retie the game at four-all in the eighth as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Brown hits a line drive towards the mound that would bounce off of David Hernandez, and then heads towards the first base line, which Dom would then beat out for an infield single, as Hernandez’s throw to first would hit Brown’s left hand. As this was going on, Mayberry, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on a wild pitch by Hernandez, would move up to third base on the play, slowing down as he touched the bag, before running home to score on Hernandez’s throwing error, beating catcher Henry Blanco’s tag. The Phils then won the game in the bottom of the ninth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by pinch hitter Juan Pierre, who moved up to second base on Nate Schierholtz’s sacrifice bunt, 5-3, a single by pinch hitter Laynce Nix, which sent Pierre to third base, an intentional walk to Utley, moving Nix up to second base, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single to right, knocking in Pierre, giving the Phils a 5-4 walk-off win.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision as he went eight innings, giving up four runs on eight hits, while he struck out five. Jonathan Papelbon (3-4, 3.00) got the win as he pitched an inning, giving up a hit and a walk. Trevor Cahill also received a no-decision as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits, two walks and a wild pitch, while striking out six. David Hernandez committed his fifth blown save of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on three hits and a wild pitch, while striking out one. Takashi Saito pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man whom he would face. Josh Collmentor (3-3, 4.23) took the lost as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on three hits and a walk.

The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Chase Utley (Single, Home Run, RBI), Dom Brown (Single, Double) and Erik Kratz (Single, Double, RBI) all leading the team with two hits apiece. Kevin Frandsen, Ryan Howard (RBI), John Mayberry, Jr, Cliff Lee, pinch hitter Juan Pierre and pinch hitter Laynce Nix had the other six Phils’ hits, all singles. The other two Phils’ runs came in on a wild pitch and an error. The Phils also had three walks in the game.

The Phils (49-59, 4th) will start a three-game series with the Braves (62-46, 2nd), starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Vance Worley (6-6, 3.63), who is coming off a win against the Nats on August 1, as he pitched seven innings, giving up two unearned runs on six hits and a walk, in the Phils’ 3-2 win. He will be trying to start off the series with the Braves with a win. The Braves will counter with Ben Sheets (3-1, 1.46) who is coming off a lost against the Marlins on August 1, as he went six and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on eleven hits and a walk, while striking out eight, in the Braves’ 4-2 lost. He will be trying to improve his record. The Phils will be trying to continue their present winning ways at the Bank.

The Phils’ offense picked up the momentum from the previous night’s ninth-inning rally by striking for five extra-base hits, including three home runs, as they supported a good start by Vance Worley as they defeat the D-backs, 8-5.

The Phils broke up a 0-0 tie in the fourth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits a two-run home run, his third home run of the year, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who was safe at first on a force out, 4-6, as Pete Orr, who had started the inning off with a single, was wiped at second base for the inning’s first out, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead three batters later as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Laynce Nix hits a two-run bomb of his own, his first home run of the season, knocking in Ty Wigginton, who had just doubled, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead. The D-backs got a run back in the fifth as Cody Ransom hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the season, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 4-1. The Phils made it a 7-1 lead in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Nix and Brian Schneider, a sacrifice bunt by pinch hitter Placido Polanco, 1-4, moving both runners up a base, and a soft fly ball single to left by Juan Pierre, although the Phils’ broadcasters mention that the umpires may have made the wrong call, and with one man out, Orr hits a bases clearing triple, knocking in Nix, Schneider and Pierre. The D-backs tried to come back in their half of the seventh as, with one man on, and with nobody out, pinch hitter Ryan Roberts hits an RBI double, scoring Willie Bloomquist, who had started the inning with a double, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 7-2. Gerardo Parra cut the Phils’ lead down to 7-3 as he followed with an RBI double of his own, scoring Roberts. Two batters later, after Parra had stolen third base, and now with one man out, Justin Upton hits an RBI ground out, scoring Parra, and making it a 7-4 Phils’ lead. The Phils would get a run back in the eighth as Shane Victorino hits a lead-off home run, his fourth home run of the year, giving the Phils an 8-4 lead. The D-backs would get that run back in their half of the eighth as Jason Kubel hits a lead-off home run, his third home run of the year. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon nailed down his sixth save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, getting Aaron Hill to fly out to right for the game’s final out.

Vance Worley (2-1, 2.16) got the win as he pitched six strong innings, giving up just one run on five scattered hits and a walk, while he struck out six. Jose Contreras pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs on three hits, while he struck out a batter. Antonio Bastardo collected his first hold of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Chad Qualls pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit, as he struck out the side. Jonathan Papelbon recorded his sixth save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Josh Collmenter (0-2, 9.82) took the lost as he went six innings plus two batters, giving up six runs on nine hits, while he struck out six. Bryan Shaw pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while he struck out a batter. Mike Zagurski pitched two innings, giving up a run on a hit, as he also struck out one.

The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Laynce Nix (Singles, Home Run, 2 RBIs) leading the team with three hits, raising his batting average to .333. Juan Pierre (Singles), Pete Orr (Single, Triple, 3 RBIs) and Brian Schneider (Singles), all followed with two hits apiece. Hunter Pence (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Shane Victorino (Home Run, RBI) and Ty Wigginton (Double) had the other three Phils’ hits, as the batters erupted for five extra-base hits (Double, Triple, 3 Home Runs), which were responsible for all eight Phils’ RBIs. Hopefully this is a precursor to a better offense.

The Phils (8-10, 4th East) will conclude their three-game series (and their road trip) with an afternoon game against the D-backs (9-9, 4th West). The game will be played at Chase Field, and is to start shortly. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (2-1, 2.95), who is coming off a win against the Padres on April 20, where he went six innings, giving up a run on six hits and a walk, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 4-1 win. He will be out to give the Phils the series win, and a spilt of the road trip. The D-backs will counter with Trevor Cahill (1-1, 2.84), who is coming off a lost against the Braves on April 20, as he pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out just two, in the D-backs’ 9-1 lost. He will be out to silent the Phils’ suddenly hot bats. The Phils will be out for a spilt of their road trip, while hoping that the bats will stay hot.

The Phils have another nightmareish lost as they drop another series at PNC Park as they lose to the Bucos, 6-3.

The Phils take a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits into an RBI force out, as Placido Polanco, who had earlier hit an infield single, is wiped out at second base, 4-6, as he take out shortstop Ronny Cedeno, allowing Howard to reach first base, and allowing Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier doubled, and then reached third on Polanco’s infield single, to score. The Pirates tied the game up at one-all in their half of the first as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Andrew McCutchen hits an RBI single, knocking in Jose Tabata, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Xavier Paul’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3. Two batters later, with one man on, and now with two men out, Lyle Overbay hits an RBI double, scoring McCutchen, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead. The Phils tied the game up at two-all in the fourth as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Dom Brown hits an RBI ground out, 4-3, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Raul Ibanez’s single, while Ibanez, who had just singled, would move up to second base. The Pirates regained the lead in their half of the fourth as, with a runner on third, and with nobody out, Chris Snyder hits into an RBI ground out, 5-3, scoring Overbay, who had earlier tripled, as Ibanez fell down after getting his spikes caught in the grass, allowing the ball to go past him, giving the Pirates a 3-2 lead. The Pirates then made it a 4-2 lead as, with one man out, Brandon Wood hits a solo home run, his first home run of the year. The Pirates added to their lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and with two men out, McCutchen hits an RBI double, knocking in pinch hitter Matt Diaz, who had earlier walked, then stole second base, giving the Pirates a 5-2 lead. The Pirates then made it a 6-2 lead in the eighth as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Wood, who had earlier reached base on a force out, 3-6, wiping out at second Snyder, who had earlier walked, before going to second on Wilson Valdez’s throwing error to first, then reached third on Cedeno’s ground out, 4-3, scores on a Danys Baez wild pitch. The Phils made it a 6-3 Pirates’ lead as, with the bases loaded, via a ground-rule double by Ibanez, a walk by Carlos Ruiz, and an infield single by Valdez, with Ibanez stopping at third and with Ruiz at second, and with two men out, Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Ibanez, while moving both Ruiz and Valdez up a base, leaving the bases loaded. That would be the final score as Joel Hanrahan ended the game by getting Chase Utley to fly out to left for the final out.

Kyle Kendrick (3-4, 3.78) took the lost as he went five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits. Mike Zagurski pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. J.C. Romero pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and two walks, while striking out two. Danys Baez pitched an inning, as he gave up a run on a walk and a wild pitch. Charlie Morton (6-2, 2.52) got the win as he pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out five. Jose Veras pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Joel Hanrahan pitched an inning, giving up a run on three hits and a walk, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Placido Polanco (Singles, RBI) and Raul Ibanez (Single, Double) both leading the team with two hits apiece. Jimmy Rollins (Double, before being taken out of the game with an injury), Wilson Valdez (Single), Chase Utley (Single), Shane Victorino (Single) and Dom Brown (Single, RBI), had the other five Phils’ hits. Ryan Howard had the other Phil RBI on a force out, as the offense is once again not getting a key hit to get them going.

The Phils (34-24, 1st East) will conclude their series with the Pirates (28-29, 4th Central) in a game already in progress.

The Nats took the lead in the third as, with the bases loaded, via Jason Marquis being safe at first on a force out on a bunt attempt, 1-6, as he tried to move Brian Bixler, who had earlier singled, over to second base, a single by Roger Bernadina, sending Marquis on to second base, and a walk by Ian Desmond, moving both men up a base, and with one man out, Jayson Werth hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Marquis, giving the Nats a 1-0 lead, while Bernadina would move up to third. The Nats then took a 2-0 lead as, now with runners on the corners, and now with two men out, Michael Morse hits an RBI single, knocking in Bernadina, while sending Desmond up to second base. The Nats then made it a 5-0 lead as Danny Espinosa hits a three-run home run, his ninth home run of the year, scoring both Desmond and Morse. The Phils got on the scoreboard in the fifth as Dom Brown hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the year, cutting the Nats’ lead down to 5-1. The Phils then cut the Nats’ lead down to 5-2 as John Mayberry, Jr. hits a solo shot, his third home run of the season. The Nats got a run back in the sixth as Espinose hits a lead-off home run, his tenth home run of the season, and his second in the ballgame, giving the Nats a 6-2 lead. The Nats then broke the game wide open in the seventh as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Morse hits an RBI double, knocking in Desmond, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base on a Werth ground out, 5-3, and then stole third, giving the Nats a 7-2 lead. Two batters later, the Nats took an 8-2 lead as Ivan Rodriguez hits an RBI single, knocking in Morse, before going on to second base on the throw home. The Nats then made it a 9-2 lead as Jerry Hairston hits an RBI single, scoring Rodriguez, before being caught in a rundown, and then being tagged out, as he tried to move up to second base, 7-5-4, for the inning’s final out. The Nats added a run in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Werth hits an RBI single, scoring Cole Kimball, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on Desmond’s walk, giving the Nats a 10-2 lead, while sending Desmond, who had just walked, over to third base. That would end up being the final score as the Phils went down in the ninth.

Cliff Lee (4-5, 3.94) took the lost as he pitched five and one-third innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out four. Michael Stutes pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Danys Beaz pitched an inning, giving up three runs on four hits, while striking out a batter. Mike Zagurski pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and two walks, while striking out one. Jason Marquis (6-2, 4.13) got the win as he pitched six and one-third innings, giving up two runs on eight hits, while striking out four. Tyler Clippard collected his eleventh hold of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face. Cole Kimball pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Placido Polanco (Singles), Carlos Ruiz (Singles) and Dom Brown (Double, Home Run, RBI), all leading the team with two hits each. Chase Utley (Single), Raul Ibanez (Single) and John Mayberry, Jr. (Home Run, RBI), had the other three hits, as the Phils’ offense was unable to overcome another early deficit.

The Phils (34-21, 1st) will conclude their three-game series with the Nats (23-31, 5th) with an afternoon game, already in progress.

The Phils come up short as they lose their second straight game to the D-backs, 7-5.

The Phils took a 1-0 lead in the first as, with a runner on third, and with nobody out, Placido Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had started the game off with a triple. The D-backs tied it up at one-all in the second as, with two men on, and with two men out, Gerardo Parra hits an RBI single, knocking in Miguel Montero, who had earlier singled, then went to second on Juan Miranda’s walk, while sending Miranda, who had just walked, to third base. The D-backs then took a 3-1 lead as Daniel Hudson hits a two-run double, knocking in both Miranda and Parra. The Phils got a run back in the third as, with two men on, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, scoring Polanco, who had been safe on a force out, 6-unassisted, as Shane Victorino, who had just singled, was wiped out at second base, then went to second on Jimmy Rollins’ single, cutting the D-backs’ lead to 3-2, while sending Rollins, who had just singled, up to third base. The D-backs got the run back in their half of the third as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Stephen Drew hits an RBI single, knocking in Kelly Johnson, who had earlier singled, stole second base, then went to third on Justin Upton’s ground out, 5-3, giving the D-backs a 4-2 lead. The D-backs then made it a 5-2 lead as with Drew now on third base, after going to second on Montero’s ground out, 6-3, and then going to third on Roy Oswalt’s wild pitch, and with two men out, he would score on Ryan Roberts’ RBI single. The Phils then cut the lead to 5-3 D-backs in the sixth as, with two men on, and with two men out, pinch hitter Ross Gload hits an RBI single, scoring Ben Francisco, who had earlier singled, then reached second base on Pete Orr’s single. The D-backs got that run back in their half of the sixth as, with one man out, Roberts hits a solo home run, his fifth home run of the season, making it a 6-3 D-backs’ lead. The D-backs made it 7-3 in the seventh as, with man on, and with two men out, Uption hits an RBI single, scoring Johnson, who earlier had an infield single, thanks to David Herndon not covering first base on his grounder to Howard, stealing second base, then reaching third on Herndon’s wild pitch. The Phils then cut the D-backs’ lead to 7-5 in the ninth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Francisco hits a two-run home run, his fourth home run of the year, scoring Howard, who had just singled. But that would be it as David Hernandez ended the game by getting Raul Ibanez to fly out to right.

Roy Oswalt (3-1, 3.33) took the lost as he pitched only three innings, giving up five runs on six hits, a walk, and a wild pitch. Kyle Kendrick followed with two 1-2-3 innings. Mike Zagurski then pitched an inning, giving up a run on one hit, as he struck out a batter. David Herndon pitched two innings, giving up a run on two hits, a wild pitch and a walk. Daniel Hudson (1-4, 5.64) got the win as he pitch six innings, giving up three runs on ten hits, while he struck out six. Sam Demel recieved his second hold of the season as he pitched two-third of an inning, walking two batters, while striking out one. Joe Paterson pitched to one batter, walking him. Esmerling Vasquez collected his second hold of the year as he pitched a scoreless inning and a third, striking out a batter. David Hernandez pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, as he struck out one. Oswalt was taken out of the game early when it was seen that he just did not have his best stuff.

The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Ryan Howard leading the way with three hits, two singles and a double, knocking in a run. Shane Victorino (Triple, Single), Jimmy Rollins (Singles), Ben Francisco (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs), all followed with two hits each. Placido Polanco (Single, RBI), Pete Orr (Single) and pinch hitter Ross Gload (Single, RBI), had the other three Phils’ hits. The offense had their first ten+ hits game in a while, but they were unable to get the big hit when they needed it, spoiling a lot of scoring opportunities, with Francisco and Raul Ibanez being the main culprits.

The Phils (15-8, 2nd East) will conclude their series with the D-backs (10-12, 4th West) with an afternoon game at Chase Field. The game will start at 3:40 pm EDT (12:40 pm PDT). The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (2-1, 2.92), who is coming off a win against the Padres on April 22, as he pitched eight shut out innings, giving up only four hits and three walks, while striking out eight, in the Phils’ 2-0 win. He will be trying to avoid the sweep, while hoping that last night’s game was an indication that the offense was waking up. The D-backs will counter with Joe Saunders (0-2, 4.98), who is coming off a no-decision against the Mets on April 22, as he pitched six innings, giving up a run on two hits and three walks, while striking out four, in the D-backs’ 4-1 lost. He is still loking for his first win of the year. The Phils hope to leave Phoenix with a win, while hoping that last night’s game will be a start of an offensive eruption.

The Phils lose their first series of the young season as they are goose egged by the Brewers, 9-0.

The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the second as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, George Kottaras hits an RBI single, knocking in Yuniesky Betancourt, who had just doubled, before going to second base on the throw home. The Brewers made it a 2-0 lead in the third as, again with two men out, Ryan Braun hits a solo home run, his fifth home run of the year. The Brewers then increased their lead in the sixth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Mark Kotsay hits an RBI single, knocking in Braun, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on Prince Fielder’s single, giving the Brewers a 3-0 lead, while sending Fielder, who had just singled, to second base. The Brewers then took a 4-0 lead in the seventh as, with two men on, and with two men out, Fielder hits an RBI single, scoring Rickie Weeks, who had earlier singled, then went to second on catcher’s Carlos Ruiz’s throwing error, while sending Braun, who had just walked, over to third. This would lead to Roy Halladay being replaced by David Herndon. Casey McGehee would welcome Herndon by hitting a three-run home run, his second home run of the season, scoring both Braun and Fielder, as he busted the game wide open, giving the Brewers a 7-0 lead. Four batters later, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Kotsay, a single to Betancourt, sending Kotsay to second base, and after Herndon is replaced on the mound by Mike Zagurski, a walk to Kottaras, moving both runners up a base, and with still two men out, the Brewers took a 9-0 lead on a single by pinch hitter Erick Almonte, knocking in both Kotsay and Betancourt, while sending Kottaras up to second base. That would be the final score as the Phils would go weakly in the last three innings.

Roy Halladay (2-1, 2.83) took the lost as he went six and two-thirds innings, giving up six runs on ten hits and two walks, while striking out only three. Not one of his better starts. David Herndon pitched to three batters, getting none of them out, as he gave up three runs on two hits and a walk. Mike Zugurski pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Danys Baez pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a walk. Randy Wolf (2-2, 3.18) got the win as he pitched six strong innings, giving up only two hits and three walks, while striking out five. Sean Green, Zack Braddock and Mike McClendon combined for three scoreless innings, giving up just a walk (McClendon) between them.

The Phils had only two hits in the ballgame, a double by Shane Victorino and a single by Jimmy Rollins. The offense did not do anything last night, other than play dead.

The Phils (10-6, 1st) will conclude their series with the Brewers (9-8, T-1st) with an afternoon game, already in progress. The Phils will be trying to avoid a sweep.

The Phils have just announced that they will be placing J.C. Romero on the 15-day disabled list, one day after he is taken out of last night’s game in the top of the ninth, as he attempted to field a ground ball hit by the Brewers’ Carlos Gomez, as he strained his right calf. Before the injury, Romero had pitched four and two-thirds innings, with a 3.86 ERA, as he was appearing in his seventh game of the season. Talk about tough luck.

The Phils have called up left-hander Mike Zagurski from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his spot on the 25-man roster. So far this year with the Iron Pigs, Zugurski had appeared in three games, with a 1-0 record and an 0.00 ERA, as he had allowed just two hits and have struck out seven in three and one-third innings. Hopefully he’ll do well with the parent club while J.C. recovers from his injury.

The Twins took the lead in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Danny Valencia hits a two-run double, knocking in Delmon Young, who had earlier doubled, and Michael Cuddyer, who had just singled on a pop up that was not fielded by third baseman Michael Martinez, giving the Twins a 2-0 lead, before Valencia is thrown out at third, trying to stretch the double into a triple, 8-6-5, for the inning’s second out. The next batter, Luke Hughes, then made it a 3-0 Twins’ lead as he hits a solo home run, his first home run of the spring. The Twins increased their lead to 6-0 in the fifth as, with two men on, and with one man out, D. Young hits a three-run home run, his first home run of the spring, as he scored Alexi Casilla and Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who both got on base with singles, with Casilla stopping at second base on Nishioka’s single. The Phils finally got on the board in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, pinch hitter Delwyn Young hits an RBI single, knocking in Cory Sullivan, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on John Mayberry, Jr’s single, making it a 6-1 Twins’ lead, while Mayberry, who had just singled, would stop at second base. One batter later, the Phils cut the Twins’ lead to 6-3 as Dane Sardinha hits a two-run double, knocking in both Mayberry and De. Young. The Twins would get one of the runs back in the ninth as, with two men out, Dustin Martin would hit a solo home run, his first home run of the spring, making it a 7-3 Twins’ lead. This would end up being the final score, as the Phils went down 1-2-3 in their half of the ninth.

Cole Hamels took the lost (1-1, 6.75) as he pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up six runs on nine hits, while striking out seven. Danys Baez pitched two-thirds scoreless innings. J.C. Romero also pitched two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up a walk. Brad Lidge then followed with two-thirds innings, giving up a run on two hits and two walks, while striking out two. Mike Zagurski pitched a third of an inning, striking out the only man he would face. Nick Blackburn (3-1, 2.05) picked up the win as he pitched six shutout innings, giving up six hits and a walk, while striking out five. Matt Capps pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Joe Nathan pitched an inning, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk. Jose Mijares pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Ross Gload (two singles) and Carlos Ruiz (single, double), leading the team with two hits each. Raul Ibaenz (Single), John Mayberry, Jr. (Single), Dane Sardinha (Double, 2 RBIs), Cole Hamels (Single), Rich Thompson (Single) and Pinch Hitter Delwyn Young (Single, RBI) had the other six Phils’ hits.

A four run outburst in the second inning leads the Phils to a 5-3 win over the Tigers.

The Phils took a 1-0 lead in the second as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Ross Gload hits an RBI single, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Delwyn Young’s single, while sending Young, who had just singled, up to second base. One batter later, Brian Schneider made it a 4-0 Phils’ lead as he hits a 3-run home run, his first home run of the spring, scoring both Young and Gload. The Tigers would get a run back in their half of the second as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Brennan Boesch hits into a double play, 3-6-3, scoring Miguel Cabrera, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Victor Martinez’s single, while wiping out at second base, for the inning’s first out, Martinez, who had just singled, making it a 4-1 Phils’ lead. The Tigers would make it 4-2 Phils in the third as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Don Kelly, a walk to Andy Dirks, moving Kelly to second base, and a single to Will Rhymes, moving both Kelly and Dirks up a base, and with one man out, Magglio Ordonez hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Kelly from third. The Phils would increase their lead in the seventh as, with two men out, Jeff Larish hits a solo home run, his first home run of the spring, giving the Phils a 5-2 lead. The Tigers would get that run back in the ninth as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Audy Ciriaco hits into an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Argenis Diaz, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Ben Guez’s double. That would be the final score as Mike Zagurski would end the game by striking out both pinch hitters Ryan Strieby and Scott Sizemore.

Joe Blanton gets the win (1-0, 3.09) as he pitched five strong innings, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out three. Ryan Madson recorded his first spring hold as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit while striking out a batter. J.C. Romero recorded his first spring training hold as he also pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits. David Herndon received his second spring hold as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Mike Zagurski recorded his first spring save as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out two. Rick Porcello took the lost (0-1, 4.50), as he pitched three innings, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out two. Adam Wilk and Jose Valverde then followed for three scoreless innings, as they together gave up two hits (one hit each) and a walk (Wilk). Duane Below then followed for an inning, giving up a run on one hit, while striking out a batter. Brad Thomas and Ryan Perry then followed with two scoreless innings, giving up no hits between them.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Raul Ibanez leading the team with two hits, a single and a double, raising his spring training average to .240. Jimmy Rollins (Single), Placido Polanco (Single), Jeff Larish (Home Run), Delwyn Young (Single), Ross Gload (Single), Brian Schneider (Home Run) and Wilson Valez (Single) had the other seven Phil’s hits, two of which were a three-run home run (Schneider) and a solo shot (Larish). Gload had the other Phil RBI.

The Phils’ stratch and claw their way to their second straight spring training win on the road, as they defeat the Pirates, 7-4.

The Phils took a quick 1-0 lead in the first, as, with runners on first and second, via two straight singles by Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco, with Rollins stopping at second base, and with no one out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Rollins, while sending Polanco up to second base. One batter later, the Phils took a 2-0 lead as, with still nobody out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, scoring Polanco, while sending Ibanez on to third. The Pirates cut the Phils’ lead in their half of the first as, with runners on the corners, via a double by Pedro Ciriaco, and a single by Neil Walker, with Ciriaco stopping at third, and with one man out, Lyle Overbay hits an RBI single to right, knocking in Ciriaco. But, on the play, Walker is thrown out at third by Wilson Valdez on a strong throw, 9-5, for the inning’s second out. The Pirates then tied the game up at two-all in the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Andy Marte hits an RBI single, scoring Matt Diaz, who had earlier reached first on a walk, and then stole second base. The Phils regain the lead in the sixth as Howard hits a lead-off home run, his first of the spring, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Pirates then tied it up at three-all in their half of the sixth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Garrett Jones hits into an RBI ground out, three-unassisted, scoring Neil Walker, who had earlier walked, then went to third on Tony Sanchez’s ground-rule double, while moving Sanchez, who had just doubled, over to third base. One batter later, the Bucos took the lead as Marte hits an RBI ground-rule double of his own, knocking in Sanchez, giving the Pirates a 4-3 lead. The Phils came back to tie it at four-all in the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Matt Rizzotti hits an RBI double, knocking in Freddy Galvis, who had earlier singled and had gone on to third on Brandon Moss’ single, while Moss, who had just singled, would stop at third base. The Phils then retook the lead as Pete Orr hits into an RBI ground out, 4-3, scoring Moss, making it a 5-4 Phils’ lead, while sending Rizzotti on to third base. The Phils then made it 6-4 as, with a man on third, and with two men out, Dane Sardinha hits an RBI single, scoring Rizotti. The Pirates tried to come back in their half of the seventh as they loaded the bases, via singles to Alex Presley and John Bowker, with Presley stopping at second base, and a walk to Corey Wimberly, moving both Presley and Bowker up a base, with only one man out. But Drew Carpenter pitched himself out of trouble by first striking out Josh Fields, swinging, for the second out, and then striking out Sanchez, looking. The Phils then made it 7-4 in the eighth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Glavis hits a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Valdez, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Michael Martinez’s ground out, 4-3. That would be the final score as Antonio Bastardo would pitch an easy 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Joe Blanton received a no-decision as he pitched three and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out two. Danys Baez received a blown save as he pitched an inning and a third, giving up a hit. Dan Meyer also received a blown save, before getting the win (1-0, 9.00), as he pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out 2. Drew Carpenter received his first hold of the spring as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out two batters. Mike Zagurski records his second spring hold as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Antonio Bastardo records his first save of the spring as he pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Kevin Correia also received a no-decision as he went three innings, giving up two runs on five hits, while he struck out five. Brian Burres followed with two scoreless innings, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Fernando Nieve took the lost (0-1, 27.00) as he pitched an inning and a third, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out three. Michael Dubee pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Bryan Morris pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Daniel Moskos pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter.

The Phils had fourteen hits in the game, with Wilson Valdez leading the team with three hits, two singles and a doubles, as he raised his spring average to .417. He was followed by Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, who both had two hits, with Rollins’ hits being a single and a double, and Howard’s being a single and a solo home run, his first of the spring. Freddy Galvis, Placido Polanco, Carlos Rivero, Raul Ibanez, Brandon Moss, Matt Rizzotti and Dane Sardinha had the other seven Phils’ hits, all singles, except for Rizzotti’s double. Rollins and Howard’s two hits help raised their spring batting averages.

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